Big Bad John’s was the first ever establishment in BC to get a license to pour liquor by the ounce. Seventy years later they finally get their name on a bottle.

BBJ’s in Victoria is one of those bars where people from different walks of life can come together to enjoy a drink and try to solve all of the world’s problems over a bucket of peanuts.

With this in mind, The Strath’s Adam Bradshaw blended two very different casks together to form a full-flavoured yet incredibly approachable whisky. It’s perfectly at home in a rocks glass, a shot glass, and even a Glencairn glass. Gather your friends or even make a few new ones over a dram of Northern Promise.

Batch one comes from a combination of meticulously selected casks from 2015 and 2019 that have previously contained BC craft scotch ale, Kentucky bourbon, and Californian red wine.

The barley is all grown right here on Vancouver Island, and was brewed, distilled and matured at Fermentorium – just a few minutes walk from BBJ’s. By the locals, for the locals – but happily shared with friendly visitors to our fair city. The gold rush may be over, but there’s still gold in these here hills.

The striking bottle is an artistic collaboration between Andrew Redbeard (local illustrator and Adam’s trusty whisky sidekick at The Strath), and Shawn O’Keefe (longtime in-house artist at Phillips Brewing).